By Cree McCree | Published December 2021
Ambitious and ambidextrous, Dobson cut her jazz teeth at home, where she was raised by the vocalist Gail Dobson and the late, great pianist and arranger Smith Dobson. But when she flew the coop, her creative spirit took flight, too. Over the course of two decades as a guitar-slinging singer-songwriter, Dobson shared stage with everyone from Dan Was to Willie Nelson to Neil Young, as well as a slew of frequent collaborators. Chief among them: her close colleague Norah Jones, in their hit trio Puss n Boots.
Girl Talk plants Dobson’s flag firmly in jazz vocalist turf. Sassy and sly, the original title track, sung with Jones, is a real hoot. The Curtis Lewis paean to New York, “This Great City,” recorded during the pandemic lockdown, cries out for help while Peter Bernstein’s pitch-perfect guitar gently weeps.
Though it’s a fine solo debut that gives Dobson wings to fly in multiple jazz-vocalist directions, Girl Talk also has a few too many hopelessly romantic numbers sung in a girly voice that lacks range and depth. Here’s hoping she gets meaner and grittier, and really lets loose with some belters, on the next one.
Girl Talk: Better Days; Sweet And Lovely; Girl Talk; Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps; You’re The Death of Me; The Great City; Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise; Time On My Hands; Autumn Nocturne; These Boots Are Made For Walking. (46:29)
Personnel: Sasha Dobson, vocals; Peter Bernstein, guitar; Neil Miner, bass; Dred Scott, Kenny Wolleson, drums.
Ordering Info: sashadobson.com
